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Welcome to Snarkfest

Welcome to my snarky corner of the web. Join me as I discuss everything from wine to chocolate. There may be a few other topics mixed in there too. I talk a bunch about my amazing offspring, 19 and 17. I sometimes go on and on about my secret crush on the amazing Mike Rowe. I talk about things that irritate me or things that make me happy. Sometimes I just talk to hear myself talk. Feedback is always appreciated but please make sure it's respectable. No nudity or profanity. I'm the only one allowed to be profane. But any and all snark is welcome and appreciated!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Bacon and eggs and other tales from Snarkfest

Hey Snarklings. Let me tell you a little story. A few years back, I received a phone call while
sitting at my desk working and it was 16 (who at the time was probably 14). Apparently, 14 (who at the time was probably 12) came home from
her PT appointment and made herself bacon and eggs. Now, before you go
getting all ‘oooh, you should NEVER let your children use the stove
unsupervised’ on me, understand that this was NOT something that 14 has
EVER done before. Have we allowed her to cook eggs, soup, or God forbid
Ramen noodles alone? Yes but we’re usually somewhere in the house when
she’s doing it. But bacon? Nope, this is a first for 14. One thing you
need to know about 14 is that she is an aspiring chef. No shit. 14
spends more time watching Food Network than Nickelodeon (unless, of
course, One Direction
is on, then Bobby Flay can go pound salmon cakes up his butt). She’s
gotten different tips, ideas and suggestions from Food Network and she
really has made some cool creations. She even texted me a picture of a
salad she made while at her grandma’s house. So I wasn’t
horribly bothered by her bacon-cooking. But I can’t say the same for 16.

16 was suffering from bacon and egg envy.

Back to the phone call. 16 says “Mom, 14 came home from PT and made
herself bacon and eggs and I asked her if she’d make me some and she
won’t.” Now imagine me, sitting at my desk with a room full of interns
to my left and a room full of my boss to my right. I just stared,
unbelieving, at the phone thinking “think fast rabbit….”
I told 16 to put 14 on the phone. When 14 got on, I said in my most
terse, stern and quietly furious voice, “make your sister bacon. Don’t
ask me why, just make her the bacon. Because I said so.” As the whining
and arguing and ‘but why can’t she make it herself’ laments went on and
on, I hung up on her. After a few moments, after calming myself down and
taking a few breaths, I texted her: “Because she is your sister and u
love her. You are the one who loves to cook.” To which 14 shot right
back: “It’s bacon! I could heat it up in the microwave if I wanted to!
That’s not even real cooking!!!” I believe the second and third
exclamation points weren’t necessary but I digress. I replied: “Then
show her how.”
14’s response? “This should be fun.”

I’m envisioning 14 in a red cape, devil horns and a pitchfork,
with the flame all the way up telling 16, ‘put your face closer to the
pan, smell the bacon frying, feel the heat from the grease, don’t be a
sissy, get right in there! You wanted to learn!’ And in my sick
imagination, I see 16’s contacts melting to her eyeballs as popping
grease shoots up and hits her face like bullets. But I hoped for the
best, and I did not hear the fire department sound any alarms so I can
only assume that no houses were burned to the ground in the making of
bacon at my house.

But wait, there’s more.

A few days later in our little burg there was a water main break, and we
received word that there was a ‘boil water advisory’ in effect until
further notice. Sweet. I had 2 cups of coffee, showered and brushed my
teeth in that unboiled water, since I didn’t get that little slice of
info until I got to work. Once again, I was at my desk when my phone
rang and I saw that it was 14. I counted to 937 and answered it in
my most pleasant, quiet, calm mommy voice. “Mom, can my bestie come
over and help me clean my room? It’s okay with bestie’s parents. And
then after my room is clean, bestie’s parents will come get us and take
us to their house.”

“No, clean your own room.” I said, trying
NOT to attract attention to the fact that I was, once again, talking
with one of my children on a personal call. “But mom…. blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah…..etc”

“Fine,
do what you need to do. I’m tired of fighting with you. And make sure
you and 16 don’t drink any water. There’s a boil water advisory
happening.” I relented.

“I know, the township called and told us. But I really want a drink of water. Can I boil some and then put it in the refrigerator?” asked my adorable 14.

Now,
while the idea of my 14 year old daughter cooking bacon wasn’t
something I found to be terribly, horribly frightening, the idea of my
14 year old daughter boiling water, then putting it in a glass and
putting the glass in the fridge to cool off scared the bejeezus out of
me. I could not contain my displeasure in my response.

“Absolutely not.”

“But why not? I want a drink of water!” 14 pleaded. Now, I try to get
my kids to drink water, I really do. I never keep soda in the house. We
have milk, we have juice, we have Mio, we have Gatorade and we have
lemonade mix. That day, and for the first time in her entire life, she NEEDED a
drink of water. She proceeded to hound and beg me to allow her to boil a
pot of water so she could have a drink in 2 hours when it’s cool enough
to drink. Jesus, by the time it’s cool enough to drink, the water main
will be fixed and she could just turn on the damn tap.

“NO. I’m not going to argue with you, my answer is NO. Period. The end.” I said through clenched teeth.

“Mommy, you sound angry. Is everything alright?”

Ya think???? I need to remember that this is my youngest baby
daughter, the one I love, the one I adore, the one I’m going to sell to
the gypsies if she doesn’t stop calling me at work to ask me for a drink
of freaking water.

It is, indeed, true. God made babies cute so we wouldn’t leave them
on a church doorstep with a note. But you can only carry cute so far. 14
years is a long time to carry cute. I’m thinking the statute of
limitations on cute may just be nearing its end in my house.

Mine are home for the summer. 19 & 20 & 19's Gf, who is amazing. 19 cooks. GF cooks a lot. 20 hates cooking but he will to survive. At 3 & 4 he was making pb&j for himself and little bro. Long story short, I'm outta town and had to leave them money for pizza and wawa. Dad who is also home, calls me last night, eating cereal because spaghetti or a tv dinner were too much work. Wtf?

I realize that when something is for whatever reason off-limits, it makes me want it more. So I get it with the water ... but I don't understand how kids obsess over what they can't have--and NOTHING else can receive any attention from them until they get the forbidden thing.

Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything. The Boy and Girl are cherubs. Complete and utter angels.

I am feeling for you and your mother of girls brain. I too was thinking, why couldn't they go get a bottle of water? I am suffering pre-toddler-itis and you seem to be suffering from annoying teenager syndrome. Brain muddling will continue until someone moves out. I'll send happy thoughts your way and hope you do the same for me. Love,Shalagh

So funny, and sounds like many conversations I've had at my house! I'm with you on the cute baby thing, and I think they get so obnoxious when they're teenagers so it's easier for us to let them LEAVE and go to college.